Party bags without the plastic crap

[QuilliamCakespeare]

DS is having a birthday party soon. I'd like to give the kids a little something to take away with their cake but, as a parent, I cringe when I see the party bags full of plastic crap come out. 90% of it ends up in the bin within half an hour of getting home. It's a waste of money and I don't really want to contribute to landfill.

Any ideas of cheap but non-plastic-crap stuff I could put in them instead? I can only really think of books but suspect that'll end up quite expensive for 30 kids and might come off as a bit wanky. Help!

Book and a balloon?
We did biscuit mixture and a mold from crumb and ??

JurassicGirl bath bombs are perfect, thank you!

We once got a little baking kit as party bag. Has ingredients and instructions for making biscuits. All in a brown paper bag with annoys to thank for attending and to have some fun at home baking. I was quite impressed with them and dd loved it too .

Bath bombs also a big hit

A note - not annoys (phone!)

Ok I have done the Book People thing many times. A different book for the younger kids and use a different wrapping paper so you know it’s for them.
This year I am doing a small notepad, a tiny box of colour pencils and two tubs of play doh.

Have a look at toys for a pound.com. They sometimes have little craft kits etc that might work?

I’ve done play doh before. The kids loved it. The parents hated me .

If there is a Tiger near you, they do great craft things for not much, plus puzzles / games / silly bits

Also, hit up The Entertainer for reduced stuff - I got plastic dinosaurs in there fore £2 each a few years back - that plus a piece of cake made a lot of little boys very happy

Sweet cones - bags Poundland icing bags - variety of age appropriate sweets that everyone will enjoy 😜

For my DCs' last few parties I've bought water bottles, mugs or those cups with bendy straws from poundland (I got Disney Princess plastic cups with lids and straws from Asda sale for 50p each last year), added a mini bag of haribo, glow stick and a strip of stickers. Less than a pound each.

I've also got the children to decorate plain paper bags at the start of the party then used them to collect sweets from the piñata and any other prizes from games and take home with a balloon (use lolly pops as weights for helium balloons) and bit of cake.

Didn’t have party bags when I was a kid. Piece of cake in a napkin and we were happy.
Sorry I haven’t any useful suggestions.

DD has sometimes been given craft kits and has loved them - at one party, each child was simply given the craft kit (no bag, sweets etc.) as they were leaving, and I didn't see too many strops about it! That was a 5th birthday party for reference. I looked up the item afterwards, and it had been about £2/child, so not exorbitant.

I gave boxes of maltesers instead for one DC's birthday party and for the other one I gave Aldi chocolate Santas.

I gave boxes of maltesers instead

Genius!

If in the Spring a small Easter Egg in cardboard packaging.
Near Christmas a selection box.
The book thing us good idea.
Craft thing from baker ross
We went to a posh party once and all the girls got £5 claires voucher.
Animal Cookie cutter although plastic more likely to be reused.
Activity book. The works do some as well as book people.

This year I did

Paint your own money box from hobby craft - were reduced to £1
A bag of Haribo each
Poo emoji slime from home bargains

Put them in a paper takeaway bag - bought a load of them off eBay -
kids loved the slime poo thing!

Packet of sweets from Wilko each. Or a small toy - once I gave out a small mini torch each.